iPhone leak probe linked to Chinese suicide

Foxconn employee jumps from building after iPhone investigation

Not the latest Guantanamo Bay scandal but tactics allegedly used during the interrogation of a Chinese man suspected of leaking details of a new iPhone.

Sun Dan Yong, 25, killed himself by jumping from a building after becoming the focus of an investigation at iPhone manufacturer Foxconn.

One bad Apple?

Foxconn, which makes Apple's iPhones in Taiwan, declared itself 'sorry' and 'deeply distressed' at the incident last Thursday. The company admitted that its Central Security section chief had been suspended without pay, after allegations that Yong was held against his will, illegally searched and possibly even beaten.

According to local media, the situation arose after Apple exerted a 'very large pressure' on Foxconn to investigate the disappearance of one of 16 prototype iPhones from a shipment. Police are investigating the incident.

An Apple spokeperson told Cnet that the US company was "saddened by the tragic loss of this young employee" and added that "we require our suppliers to treat all workers with dignity and respect."

Foxconn has manufactured devices from HP and Dell computers to Sony PlayStations and the Amazon Kindle, as well as MacBook Airs, Mac Mini and iPods. The company is no stranger to controversy, having sued journalists who revealed its habit of forcing employees to work overtime and reportedly making workers stand to attention for long periods.